Sharing video footage from audio/video recording and communication devices

ABSTRACT

Video footage captured by A/V recording and communication devices may be readily uploaded to the cloud and shared with a requesting party, such as a law enforcement agency. When a request is received from a requesting party for video footage, a set of videos meeting the criteria specified by the requesting party may be determined. Consent requests may then be sent to users associated with each of the A/V recording and communication devices that recorded the videos meeting the criteria specified by the requesting party. When user consents to share the videos are received, the video footage may be provided to the requesting party.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No.62/288,971, filed on Jan. 29, 2016, provisional application Ser. No.62/271,186, filed on Dec. 22, 2015, and provisional application Ser. No.62/270,373, filed on Dec. 21, 2015. The entire contents of the priorityapplications are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present embodiments relate to audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication devices, including A/V recording and communicationdoorbell systems. In particular, the present embodiments improve thefunctionality of A/V recording and communication devices by facilitatingeasy sharing of video footage recorded by such devices.

BACKGROUND

Home safety is a concern for many homeowners and renters. Those seekingto protect or monitor their homes often wish to have video and audiocommunications with visitors, for example, those visiting an externaldoor or entryway. Audio/Video (A/V) recording and communication devices,such as doorbells, provide this functionality, and can also aid in crimedetection and prevention. For example, audio and/or video captured by anA/V recording and communication device can be uploaded to the cloud andrecorded on a remote server. Subsequent review of the A/V footage canaid law enforcement in capturing perpetrators of home burglaries andother crimes. Further, the presence of one or more A/V recording andcommunication devices on the exterior of a home, such as a doorbell unitat the entrance to the home, acts as a powerful deterrent againstwould-be burglars.

SUMMARY

The various embodiments of the present apparatus, systems, and methodsfor sharing video footage from audio/video recording and communicationdevices have several features, no single one of which is solelyresponsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scopeof the present embodiments as expressed by the claims that follow, theirmore prominent features now will be discussed briefly. After consideringthis discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled“Detailed Description,” one will understand how the features of thepresent embodiments provide the advantages described herein.

One aspect of the present embodiments includes the realization thataudio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices may from time totime record video footage of criminal activity and/or of criminalperpetrators. This video footage may be useful to law enforcementagencies, not only because it may be evidence of the commission of acrime and of the person(s) responsible for the crime (if the crime iscaught on video), but also because it may provide information about alocation of a criminal perpetrator (if, for example, the crime is notcaught on video, but a person wanted for questioning in connection witha crime is recorded by the A/V recording and communication device). Itwould be advantageous, then, to enhance the functionality of A/Vrecording and communication devices by facilitating easy sharing ofvideo footage recorded by such devices with law enforcement. The presentembodiments, as described in detail below, provide this enhancement. Inparticular, the present embodiments enable video footage captured by A/Vrecording and communication devices to be readily uploaded to the cloudand shared with a requesting party, such as a law enforcement agency.The footage from these A/V recording and communication devices, whichmay contain images of the perpetrator(s) of the crime and/or othervaluable information, may then be used in identifying and/or capturingthe perpetrator(s), thereby making communities safer.

In a first aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising receivinga request from a requesting party for video footage recorded by one ormore audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices in aspecified area during a specified time window, wherein each of the A/Vrecording and communication devices includes a camera; determiningvideos that were recorded by at least a subset of the A/V recording andcommunication devices in the specified area during the specified timewindow; sending consent requests to users associated with each of theA/V recording and communication devices in the subset; receiving atleast one user consent to share at least one of the videos recorded bythe A/V recording and communication devices in the subset; and providingthe video footage corresponding to the at least one user consent to therequesting party.

In an embodiment of the first aspect, the specified time window includesan ending date and/or time that is in the future.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, determining the videoscomprises taking as criteria the specified area and the specified timewindow, and using the criteria to search through video metadata toidentify videos that meet the criteria.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, determining the videosreturns a set of video metadata records.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the consent requests comprisepush notifications sent to client devices associated with each of theusers.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the push notificationscomprise an indicator of the specified time window.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the push notificationscomprise an indicator of the requesting party.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the push notificationscomprise a listing of the videos that are associated with the request.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the users may view the videosin the listing.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the push notificationscomprise three response options, including an option to share all videosmeeting criteria provided by the requesting party, an option to share novideos, and an option to share some videos meeting the criteria providedby the requesting party and withhold others.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the requesting party is a lawenforcement agency.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, a server performs at leastone of receiving the request, determining the videos, sending theconsent requests, receiving the at least one user consent, and providingthe video footage.

In a second aspect, a method is provided, the method comprisingreceiving a request from a requesting party for video footage recordedby one or more audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices ina specified area during a specified time window, wherein the specifiedtime window includes a defined start date and/or time, but does notinclude a defined end date or time, and wherein each of the A/Vrecording and communication devices includes a camera, determiningvideos that were recorded by at least a subset of the A/V recording andcommunication devices in the specified area after the defined start dateand/or time; sending consent requests to users associated with each ofthe A/V recording and communication devices in the subset; receiving atleast one user consent to share at least one of the videos recorded bythe A/V recording and communication devices in the subset; and providingthe video footage corresponding to the at least one user consent to therequesting party.

In an embodiment of the second aspect, the defined start date and/ortime is in the past.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the defined start dateand/or time correspond to a time that the request is received.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, determining the videoscomprises taking as criteria the specified area and the defined startdate and/or time, and using the criteria to search through videometadata to identify videos that meet the criteria.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, determining the videosreturns a set of video metadata records.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the consent requestscomprise push notifications sent to client devices associated with eachof the users.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the push notificationscomprise an indicator of the defined start date and/or time.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the push notificationscomprise an indicator of the requesting party.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the push notificationscomprise a listing of the videos that are associated with the request.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the users may view thevideos in the listing.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the push notificationscomprise three response options, including an option to share all videosmeeting criteria provided by the requesting party, an option to share novideos, and an option to share some videos meeting the criteria providedby the requesting party and withhold others.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the requesting party is alaw enforcement agency.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, a server performs at leastone of receiving the request, determining the videos, sending theconsent requests, receiving the at least one user consent, and providingthe video footage.

In a third aspect, a method is provided, the method comprisingdisplaying, on a display of a client device, a graphical user interface(GUI) for enabling a requester to request video footage from one or moreaudio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices; receiving as aninput an address that identifies a location from around which therequester wishes to gather the video footage; displaying, on the GUI onthe display of the client device, a map of an area around the inputaddress; identifying, on the map, the location of the input address;identifying, on the map, locations of the one or more A/V recording andcommunication devices; receiving as an input an area of interest andindicating the area of interest on the map; identifying, on the map,locations of a subset of the A/V recording and communication devicesthat are within the area of interest; receiving as an input an executecommand; and returning as an output the video footage from the subset ofthe A/V recording and communication devices that are within the area ofinterest.

In an embodiment of the third aspect, the client device comprises adesktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a mobiletelephone, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, or a personal digitalassistant (PDA).

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the location of the inputaddress is indicated on the map with an icon of a first type.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the locations of the one ormore A/V recording and communication devices are indicated on the mapwith icons of a second type.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises receiving as aninput a range of dates and/or times.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises restricting thevideo footage provided to the requester to the range of dates and/ortimes.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, receiving the input of thearea of interest comprises receiving an input of a polygon drawn on themap of the GUI.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, receiving the input of thearea of interest comprises receiving an input of a radius around theaddress.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises receiving as aninput a case number or an incident number.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises receiving as aninput an incident type.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises, afterreturning as an output the video footage from the subset of the A/Vrecording and communication devices that are within the area ofinterest, indicating with icons on the map the locations of the subsetof the A/V recording and communication devices that have the videofootage meeting the requester's criteria, wherein each icon includes anumber that indicates a number of videos associated with that A/Vrecording and communication device that meet all criteria input by therequester.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, returning as an output thevideo footage from the subset of the A/V recording and communicationdevices that are within the area of interest comprises displaying, onthe GUI on the display of the client device, a list of videos.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, each video in the listincludes identifying information, including the address where the A/Vrecording and communication device that recorded each video is located,and the date and time that each video was recorded.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, each video in the listincludes a download icon or button that, when selected, causes theselected video to be downloaded to the client device.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, each video in the listincludes a flag icon or button that, when selected, causes the selectedvideo to be added to a group of flagged videos.

The method of Claim 40, further comprising receiving as an input acommand to narrow the list of videos to only those videos that are inthe group of flagged videos.

In a fourth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computerprogram product being embodied in code executable by a processor, whichwhen executed causes the processor to display, on a display of a clientdevice, a graphical user interface (GUI) for enabling a requester torequest video footage from one or more audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication devices; receive as an input an address that identifies alocation from around which the requester wishes to gather the videofootage; display, on the GUI on the display of the client device, a mapof an area around the input address; identify, on the map, the locationof the input address; identify, on the map, locations of the one or moreA/V recording and communication devices; receive as an input an area ofinterest and indicate the area of interest on the map; identify, on themap, locations of a subset of the A/V recording and communicationdevices that are within the area of interest; receive as an input anexecute command; and return as an output the video footage from thesubset of the A/V recording and communication devices that are withinthe area of interest.

In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the location of the input addressis indicated on the map with an icon of a first type.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the locations of the one ormore A/V recording and communication devices are indicated on the mapwith icons of a second type.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the code, when executed bythe processor, further causes the processor to receive as an input arange of dates and/or times.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the code, when executed bythe processor, further causes the processor to restrict the videofootage provided to the requester to the range of dates and/or times.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, receiving the input of thearea of interest comprises receiving an input of a polygon drawn on themap of the GUI.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, receiving the input of thearea of interest comprises receiving an input of a radius around theaddress.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the code, when executed bythe processor, further causes the processor to receive as an input acase number or an incident number.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the code, when executed bythe processor, further causes the processor to receive as an input anincident type.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the code, when executed bythe processor, further causes the processor to, after returning as anoutput the video footage from the subset of the A/V recording andcommunication devices that are within the area of interest, indicatewith icons on the map the locations of the subset of the A/V recordingand communication devices that have the video footage meeting therequester's criteria, wherein each icon includes a number that indicatesa number of videos associated with that A/V recording and communicationdevice that meet all criteria input by the requester.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, returning as an output thevideo footage from the subset of the A/V recording and communicationdevices that are within the area of interest comprises displaying, onthe GUI on the display of the client device, a list of videos.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, each video in the listincludes identifying information, including the address where the A/Vrecording and communication device that recorded each video is located,and the date and time that each video was recorded.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, each video in the listincludes a download icon or button that, when selected, causes theselected video to be downloaded to the client device.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, each video in the listincludes a flag icon or button that, when selected, causes the selectedvideo to be added to a group of flagged videos.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the code, when executed bythe processor, further causes the processor to receive as an input acommand to narrow the list of videos to only those videos that are inthe group of flagged videos.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments of the present apparatus, systems, and methodsfor sharing video footage from audio/video recording and communicationdevices now will be discussed in detail with an emphasis on highlightingthe advantageous features. These embodiments depict the novel andnon-obvious apparatus, systems, and methods for sharing video footagefrom audio/video recording and communication devices shown in theaccompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. Thesedrawings include the following figures, in which like numerals indicatelike parts:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system including anA/V recording and communication device according to the presentembodiments;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system for sharingvideo footage from A/V doorbells according to the present embodiments;

FIGS. 3-7 are sample screenshots of a graphical user interface (GUI)associated with a process for enabling a requesting party to requestvideo footage from one or more A/V recording and communication devices;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process for sharing video footagefrom A/V recording and communication doorbells according to the presentembodiments;

FIG. 8A is a sequence diagram illustrating one embodiment of the processof FIG. 8;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another process for sharing videofootage from A/V recording and communication doorbells according to thepresent embodiments;

FIG. 9A is a sequence diagram illustrating one embodiment of the processof FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is a front view of an A/V recording and communication doorbellaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the A/V recording and communication doorbellof FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a left side view of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell of FIG. 10 attached to a mounting bracket according to anaspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is cross-sectional right side view of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell and the mounting bracket of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a rear view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 12;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbell and the mounting bracket of FIG.12;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are top and front views, respectively, of a passiveinfrared sensor holder of the A/V recording and communication doorbellof FIG. 10;

FIGS. 18A and 18B are top and front views, respectively, of a passiveinfrared sensor holder assembly of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell of FIG. 10;

FIG. 19 is a top view of the passive infrared sensor assembly of FIG.18A and a field of view thereof according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 20 a functional block diagram of the components of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbell of FIG. 10;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a process for an A/V recording andcommunication doorbell according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating another process for an A/V recordingand communication doorbell according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating another process for an A/V recordingand communication doorbell according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 24 is a functional block diagram of a client device on which thepresent embodiments may be implemented according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 25 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented according tovarious aspects of present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description describes the present embodimentswith reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numbers labelelements of the present embodiments. These reference numbers arereproduced below in connection with the discussion of the correspondingdrawing features.

The embodiments of the present apparatus, systems, and methods forsharing video footage from audio/video recording and communicationdevices are described below with reference to the figures. Thesefigures, and their written descriptions, indicate that certaincomponents of the apparatus are formed integrally, and certain othercomponents are formed as separate pieces. Those of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that components shown and described herein as beingformed integrally may in alternative embodiments be formed as separatepieces. Those of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate thatcomponents shown and described herein as being formed as separate piecesmay in alternative embodiments be formed integrally. Further, as usedherein the term integral describes a single unitary piece.

With reference to FIG. 1, the present embodiments include an audio/video(A/V) communication doorbell 100. While the present disclosure providesnumerous examples of methods and systems including A/V recording andcommunication doorbells, the present embodiments are equally applicablefor A/V recording and communication devices other than doorbells. Forexample, the present embodiments may include one or more A/V recordingand communication security cameras instead of, or in addition to, one ormore A/V recording and communication doorbells. An example A/V recordingand communication security camera may include substantially all of thestructure and functionality of the doorbells described herein, butwithout the front button and related components.

The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 is typically locatednear the entrance to a structure (not shown), such as a dwelling, abusiness, a storage facility, etc. The A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 includes a camera 102, a microphone 104, and a speaker 106.The camera 102 may comprise, for example, a high definition (HD) videocamera, such as one capable of capturing video images at an imagedisplay resolution of 720p or better. While not shown, the A/V recordingand communication doorbell 100 may also include other hardware and/orcomponents, such as a housing, one or more motion sensors (and/or othertypes of sensors), a button, etc. The A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 may further include similar componentry and/orfunctionality as the wireless communication doorbells described in USPatent Application Publication Nos. 2015/0022620 (application Ser. No.14/499,828) and 2015/0022618 (application Ser. No. 14/334,922), both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties as iffully set forth.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 communicates with a user's network 110, which may be forexample a wired and/or wireless network. If the user's network 110 iswireless, or includes a wireless component, the network 110 may be aWi-Fi network compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard and/or otherwireless communication standard(s). The user's network 110 is connectedto another network 112, which may comprise, for example, the Internetand/or a public switched telephone network (PSTN). As described below,the A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 may communicate withthe user's client device 114 via the user's network 110 and the network112 (Internet/PSTN). The user's client device 114 may comprise, forexample, a personal computer, such as a desktop computer, a laptopcomputer, a tablet, etc. The user's client device 114 may furthercomprise, for example, a mobile telephone (may also be referred to as acellular telephone), such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), or another communication device. The user's client device 114comprises a display (not shown) and related components capable ofdisplaying streaming and/or recorded video images. The user's clientdevice 114 may also comprise a speaker and related components capable ofbroadcasting streaming and/or recorded audio, and may also comprise amicrophone. The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 may alsocommunicate with one or more remote storage device(s) 116 (may bereferred to interchangeably as “cloud storage device(s)”), one or moreservers 118, and/or a backend API (application programming interface)120 via the user's network 110 and the network 112 (Internet/PSTN).While FIG. 1 illustrates the storage device 116, the server 118, and thebackend API 120 as components separate from the network 112, it is to beunderstood that the storage device 116, the server 118, and/or thebackend API 120 may be considered to be components of the network 112.

The network 112 may be any wireless network or any wired network, or acombination thereof, configured to operatively couple the abovementioned modules, devices, and systems as shown in FIG. 1. For example,the network 112 may include one or more of the following: a PSTN (publicswitched telephone network), the Internet, a local intranet, a PAN(Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide AreaNetwork), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a virtual private network(VPN), a storage area network (SAN), a frame relay connection, anAdvanced Intelligent Network (AIN) connection, a synchronous opticalnetwork (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, a DigitalData Service (DDS) connection, a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)connection, an Ethernet connection, an ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34, or V.34bis analogmodem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)connection, or an FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) or CDDI(Copper Distributed Data Interface) connection. Furthermore,communications may also include links to any of a variety of wirelessnetworks, including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), GPRS (GeneralPacket Radio Service), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication),CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division MultipleAccess), FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), and/or OFDMA(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) cellular phone networks,GPS, CDPD (cellular digital packet data), RIM (Research in Motion,Limited) duplex paging network, Bluetooth radio, or an IEEE 802.11-basedradio frequency network. The network can further include or interfacewith any one or more of the following: RS-232 serial connection,IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connection, Fibre Channel connection, IrDA(infrared) port, SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) connection, USB(Universal Serial Bus) connection, or other wired or wireless, digitalor analog, interface or connection, mesh or Digi® networking.

According to one or more aspects of the present embodiments, when aperson (may be referred to interchangeably as “visitor”) arrives at theA/V recording and communication doorbell 100, the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 detects the visitor's presence and beginscapturing video images within a field of view of the camera 102. The A/Vrecording and communication doorbell 100 may also capture audio throughthe microphone 104. The A/V recording and communication doorbell 100 maydetect the visitor's presence using a motion sensor, and/or by detectingthat the visitor has depressed the button on the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100.

In response to the detection of the visitor, the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 sends an alert to the user's client device114 (FIG. 1) via the user's network 110 and the network 112. The A/Vrecording and communication doorbell 100 also sends streaming video, andmay also send streaming audio, to the user's client device 114. If theuser answers the alert, two-way audio communication may then occurbetween the visitor and the user through the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 and the user's client device 114. The usermay view the visitor throughout the duration of the call, but thevisitor cannot see the user (unless the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 100 includes a display, which it may in some embodiments).

The video images captured by the camera 102 of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 100 (and the audio captured by the microphone104) may be uploaded to the cloud and recorded on the remote storagedevice 116 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the video and/or audio may berecorded on the remote storage device 116 even if the user chooses toignore the alert sent to his or her client device 114.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the system may further comprise abackend API 120 including one or more components. A backend API(application programming interface) may comprise, for example, a server(e.g. a real server, or a virtual machine, or a machine running in acloud infrastructure as a service), or multiple servers networkedtogether, exposing at least one API to client(s) accessing it. Theseservers may include components such as application servers (e.g.software servers), depending upon what other components are included,such as a caching layer, or database layers, or other components. Abackend API may, for example, comprise many such applications, each ofwhich communicate with one another using their public APIs. In someembodiments, the API backend may hold the bulk of the user data andoffer the user management capabilities, leaving the clients to have verylimited state.

The backend API 120 illustrated FIG. 1 may include one or more APIs. AnAPI is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software andapplications. An API expresses a software component in terms of itsoperations, inputs, outputs, and underlying types, definingfunctionalities that are independent of their respectiveimplementations, which allows definitions and implementations to varywithout compromising the interface. Advantageously, an API may provide aprogrammer with access to an application's functionality without theprogrammer needing to modify the application itself, or even understandhow the application works. An API may be for a web-based system, anoperating system, or a database system, and it provides facilities todevelop applications for that system using a given programming language.In addition to accessing databases or computer hardware like hard diskdrives or video cards, an API can ease the work of programming GUIcomponents. For example, an API can facilitate integration of newfeatures into existing applications (a so-called “plug-in API”). An APIcan also assist otherwise distinct applications with sharing data, whichcan help to integrate and enhance the functionalities of theapplications.

The backend API 120 illustrated in FIG. 1 may further include one ormore services (also referred to as network services). A network serviceis an application that provides data storage, manipulation,presentation, communication, and/or other capability. Network servicesare often implemented using a client-server architecture based onapplication-layer network protocols. Each service may be provided by aserver component running on one or more computers (such as a dedicatedserver computer offering multiple services) and accessed via a networkby client components running on other devices. However, the client andserver components can both be run on the same machine. Clients andservers may have a user interface, and sometimes other hardwareassociated with them.

One aspect of the present embodiments includes the realization thataudio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices may from time totime record video footage of criminal activity and/or of criminalperpetrators. This video footage may be useful to law enforcementagencies, not only because it may be evidence of the commission of acrime and of the person(s) responsible for the crime (if the crime iscaught on video), but also because it may provide information about alocation of a criminal perpetrator (if, for example, the crime is notcaught on video, but a person wanted for questioning in connection witha crime is recorded by the A/V recording and communication device). Itwould be advantageous, then, to enhance the functionality of A/Vrecording and communication devices by facilitating easy sharing ofvideo footage recorded by such devices with law enforcement. The presentembodiments, as described in detail below, provide this enhancement. Inparticular, the present embodiments enable video footage captured by A/Vrecording and communication devices to be readily uploaded to the cloudand shared with a requesting party, such as a law enforcement agency.The footage from these A/V recording and communication devices, whichmay contain images of the perpetrator(s) of the crime and/or othervaluable information, may then be used in identifying and/or capturingthe perpetrator(s), thereby making communities safer.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of A/V recording and communicationdoorbells 200 mounted on the exteriors of a plurality of homes 202 in aneighborhood 204. Each of the A/V recording and communication doorbells200 is mounted near the entrance 206 of its respective home 202, suchthat each A/V recording and communication doorbell 200 is configured tocapture video footage (and, in some embodiments, accompanying audio)from an area adjacent to and within the field of view of the camera ofthe respective A/V recording and communication doorbell 200. The videofootage may be uploaded and stored in the cloud, as described above.According to the present embodiments, and as described in detail below,the video footage captured by each of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200 and uploaded to the cloud can be shared witha requesting party, such as a law enforcement agency. For example, lawenforcement may desire to gather video footage from one or more A/Vdoorbells that are located in the same vicinity as a crime that hasoccurred. The footage from these A/V doorbells may contain images of theperpetrator(s) of the crime and/or other valuable information that mayaid in identifying and/or capturing the perpetrator(s).

FIG. 3 illustrates one example of a graphical user interface (GUI 300)associated with a process for enabling a requesting party (or“requester”) to request video footage from one or more A/V doorbells.The process, or program, may be embodied in code executable by one ormore processors. The requesting party may, for example, login through auser portal at a website using a client device (requesting party'sclient device 119, FIG. 1). The requesting party's client device 119 maycomprise, for example, a personal computer, such as a desktop computer,a laptop computer, a tablet, etc. The requesting party's client device119 may further comprise, for example, a mobile telephone (may also bereferred to as a cellular telephone), such as a smartphone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), or another communication device.

With further reference to FIG. 3, at the GUI 300 the requester may enteran address that identifies a location around which the requester wishesto gather video footage. The GUI 300 then displays a map 302 of the area308 around the address. An icon of a first type 304 may indicate thelocation of the entered address on the map 302. The map 302 may furtherdisplay one or more additional icons a second type 306 that indicate thelocations of A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 (FIG. 2). Therequester may specify an area 308 of interest (from which the requesterwishes to gather video footage) by indicating the area 308 on the map302. The GUI 300 identifies the locations of A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200 within the specified area 308 by displayingthem on the map 302 within the defined area 308. The GUI 300 may furtherinclude a mechanism, such as a text box 310 or a calendar 312, thatenables the requester to specify a range of dates and/or times. If therequester enters a date range, the video footage provided to therequester is restricted to the specified date range.

The requester may specify the area 308 from which video footage will begathered in any of a variety of ways. For example, the requester maydraw a polygon of any shape and size on the map 302 of the GUI 300 byspecifying locations of vertices 314 of the polygon, such as by touchingthe locations of the vertices 314, if the requester's client deviceincludes a touchscreen, or by using a pointing device, such as a mouseor a trackball, and an onscreen pointer to specify the locations of thevertices 314. In certain embodiments, the polygon specified by therequester may not have any vertices 314, such as a circle. The requesterin such an embodiment may specify an area of interest by providing aradius around the address (indicated on the map 302 by the icon of thefirst type 304) that the requester has entered.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the GUI 300 may also include one ormore text boxes and/or dropdown menus that enable the requester toidentify a given request with a case number or incident number 316, tospecify an incident date 318 and/or time 320, and to specify an incidenttype 322. The GUI 300 may further include a button 324 that therequester presses after entering information in the text boxes and/ordropdown menus. Pressing the button 324 may cause the program to executeand return the video footage specified by the requester. The GUI 300 mayalso include a tab 326 that enables the requester to access previous (orexisting) searches.

After the requester specifies an area 308, and optionally a date range310/312 and/or any other criteria, as described above, the processidentifies the video footage meeting the criteria specified by therequester, and returns the identified video footage to the requester.For example, FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a GUI 400 for presentingidentified video footage to the requester. The GUI 400 includes a map402 showing locations of A/V recording and communication doorbells 200that have video footage meeting the requester's criteria. Icons 404 onthe map 402 indicate the locations of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200. In the illustrated embodiment, each icon404 includes a number that indicates the number of videos associatedwith that A/V recording and communication doorbell 200 that meet therequester's criteria. The GUI 400 may present additional information,such as the total number of videos 406 that meet the requester'scriteria, a case number 408, the address 410 where the incidentoccurred, an incident icon 411 on the map 402 indicating the location ofthe address 410 where the incident occurred, the type of incident (suchas a burglary 412), the date and time 414 of the incident, a firstcounter 416 that indicates the number of flagged videos (described infurther detail below), a second counter 418 that indicates the number ofnew videos (described in further detail below), one or more filterbuttons 420, 422, 424, 426, a dropdown menu 428 for selecting videos byaddress, and/or a date range selector 430.

With further reference to FIG. 4, the GUI 400 may further present a listof the videos 432 that meet the requester's criteria. With reference toFIG. 4 and to FIG. 5, which presents a magnified view of the video list432, each video in the list 432 may include identifying information,such as the address 500 where the A/V doorbell that recorded the videois located, and/or the date and time 502 that the video was recorded.With further reference to FIG. 5, each video in the list 432 may furtherinclude a download icon 504, a flag icon 506, a hide icon 508, a newicon 510, and/or other icons (not shown). If the requester selects thedownload icon 504, the video associated with that download icon 504 isdownloaded to the requester's client device 119. If the requesterselects the flag icon 506, the video associated with that flag icon 506is added to the group of “flagged” videos, and the appearance of theflag icon 506 may change. For example, in the illustrated embodiment thecolor of the flag icon 506 changes from gray to red when selected. Therequester may subsequently narrow the list of videos shown by selectingthe Flagged filter button 424 (FIG. 4), after which only those videosthat have been flagged are shown in a modified list 600, as illustratedin FIG. 6.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, if the user selects the hide icon 508next to a given video, the video associated with that hide icon 508 maydisappear from the list 432. The user may subsequently see a list ofonly hidden videos by selecting the Hidden filter button 426 (FIG. 4).With reference to FIG. 5, the new icon 510 identifies videos that haverecently been recorded and/or uploaded to the cloud, and/or that therequester has not yet viewed. After the requester views a video thatincludes a new icon 510, the new icon 510 may no longer appear next tothat video in the list 432. If the requester selects the New filterbutton 422 (FIG. 4), the videos displayed in the list 432 may includeonly those that include the new icon 510.

With further reference to FIG. 4, the GUI 400 may further present adropdown address menu 428 that allows the user to narrow the videos inthe list 432 to only those associated with the A/V doorbell at aparticular address. The GUI 400 may further present a selectable daterange 430. In the illustrated embodiment, the selectable date range 430includes a slider at either end. By moving the sliders, the user maynarrow or broaden the date range, after which the program will narrow orbroaden the videos displayed in the list 432 to include only thosevideos that fall within the specified date range.

With reference to FIG. 7, when the user selects one of the videos fromthe list 432, such as by double-clicking on the selected video, theselected video 700 may playback within a portion of the GUI 702. In theillustrated embodiment, the selected video 700 plays in the upper-rightcorner of the GUI 702, but in other embodiments the selected video 700may play in a different portion of the GUI 702, or may open in a newwindow, for example. The GUI 702 may further include a Hide button 704that causes the selected video 700 to disappear from the GUI 702 whenthe Hide button 704 is selected.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process for sharing video footagefrom A/V doorbells according to the present embodiments, and FIG. 8A isa sequence diagram illustrating one embodiment of the process of FIG. 8.With reference to FIG. 8, the process begins at block B800, when arequest is received from a requesting party for video footage recordedby one or more A/V doorbells in a specified area and during a specifiedtime window. The requesting party may be, for example, a law enforcementagency. With reference to FIG. 8A, the requesting party may submit therequest to the network 112 in a video request signal 801 sent from therequesting party's client device 119 (FIG. 1) to a network device, suchas the server 118 (or the backend API 120 or another network device).The requesting party's client device 119 may be, for example, a computerthat connects to the network 112 using a web browser, and the requestingparty may submit the request through a web portal provided on thenetwork 112, such as in the example illustrated above with respect toFIGS. 3-7.

For example, with reference to FIG. 3, the requesting party may accessthe web portal on the network 112 and enter an address in a search box(not shown). The web portal may then display the map 302 of the areaaround the entered address, with an icon of a first type 304 identifyingthe entered address and a plurality of icons of a second type 306identifying the locations of A/V recording and communication doorbells200 in the vicinity of the entered address 304. The requesting party maythen specify the area of interest 308 as described above with respect toFIG. 3, and also specify the time window of interest. For example, therequesting party may enter a beginning date and time and an ending dateand/or time using one or more text boxes 310, dropdown menus, popupcalendars 312, etc. In some embodiments, the ending date and/or time maybe in the future, and/or the request may be open ended, meaning that therequesting party does not provide an ending date and/or time. In suchcases, the video footage returned to the requesting party may includevideos that are uploaded from one or more of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200 in the specified area 308 at one or morefuture times.

With further reference to FIG. 8, the process next moves to block B802,where it is determined which videos satisfy the criteria provided by therequester. For example, the determination process, which may beperformed at the server 118 (or the backend API 120 or another networkdevice), for example, may take as criteria the area of interest and thetime window of interest, and use those criteria to search through videometadata to identify videos that meet the criteria. The result set isthen a set of these video metadata records, e.g. a set of references tovideos. The process then moves to blocks B804 and B806, wherepermissions are obtained for sharing the videos that were determined atblock B802. For example, at block B804 a request for consent to sharemay be sent to each of the users associated with each of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbells 200 having at least one of thevideos determined at block B802. The request for consent may comprise,for example, a push notification sent to each user's client device 114(such as a smartphone). The push notification (or other type of requestfor consent) may indicate the time and date range for which sharing hasbeen requested, may also indicate the identity of the requesting party,and/or may also lead the user to a listing of the videos that areassociated with the request, which the user may also view. For example,with reference to FIG. 8A, the request for consent to share videos maycomprise a share request signal (or consent request signal) 803transmitted by the server 118 (or the backend API 120 or another networkdevice) to one or more of the user's client devices 114 associated withthe A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 having at least one ofthe videos determined at block B802.

Referring back to FIG. 8, then, at block B806, it is determined which ofthe users (if any) have provided consent to share their videos. Forexample, each user may respond to the push notification with a “yes” or“no.” With reference to FIG. 8A, the user consents (or denials ofconsent) may be sent in one or more share consent signals 805 from theusers' client devices 114 to the server 118 (or the backend API 120 oranother network device). For those users who do not provide consent toshare, the process ends at block B808 (FIG. 8). However, for those userswho do provide consent to share, the process continues to block B810. Atblock B810, the videos from the consenting users' A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200 that fall within the specified time windoware presented to the requester through the web portal. For example, withreference to FIG. 4, icons 404 on the map 402 may indicate the locationsof the A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 corresponding tothe consenting users, and a number on each icon 404 may indicate anumber of videos recorded by that A/V recording and communicationdoorbell 200. The list of videos 432 may be populated with the videoscorresponding to the icons 404 shown on the map 402, and the requestermay view the videos, flag selected ones of the videos, hide selectedones of the videos, etc., as described above with respect to FIGS. 4-7.With reference to FIG. 8A, information about the videos from theconsenting users' A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 thatfall within the specified time window may be sent in a videoavailability signal 807 from the server 118 (or the backend API 120 oranother network device) to the requesting party's client device 119.

As described above, in some embodiments the requesting party may enteran ending date and/or time that is in the future, or the requester maynot provide an ending date and/or time. FIG. 9 is a flowchartillustrating an example embodiment of a process for sharing videofootage in situations in which the requester does not provide an endingdate and/or time, and FIG. 9A is a sequence diagram illustrating oneembodiment of the process of FIG. 9. The processes of FIGS. 9 and 9Amay, for example, aid in stopping a crime that is currently in progressor that has recently occurred, such as when implemented close in time toa reported burglary. With reference to FIG. 9, at block B1000 a requestis received from a requesting party for video footage recorded by one ormore A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 in a specified areaduring a specified time window, where the specified time window includesthe future. For example, the request may request videos from all A/Vrecording and communication doorbells 200 in the specified area that arerecorded and uploaded from a specified start time going forward into thefuture. The specified start time may be a time in the past, or maysimply correspond to whatever time the request is submitted. The requestmay identify a future end time, after which any videos recorded anduploaded by A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 in thespecified area would not be shared with the requester. Alternatively,the request may not include an end time, such that all future videosrecorded and uploaded by A/V recording and communication doorbells 200in the specified area would be shared with the requester (subject toobtaining permissions from the user(s) of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200). As in the example of FIG. 8, therequesting party may be, for example, a law enforcement agency. Withreference to FIG. 9A, the requesting party may submit the request to thenetwork 112 in a video request signal 901 sent from the requestingparty's client device 119 (FIG. 1) to a network device, such as theserver 118 (or the backend API 120 or another network device). Therequesting party's client device 119 may be, for example, a computerthat connects to the network 112 using a web browser, and the requestingparty may submit the request through a web portal provided on thenetwork 112, such as in the example illustrated above with respect toFIGS. 3-7.

With further reference to FIG. 9, the process next moves to block B902,where it is determined which A/V recording and communication doorbells200 are located in the specified area. In other words, the process,which may be performed at the server 118 (or the backend API 120 oranother network device), for example, determines a subset of all A/Vrecording and communication doorbells 200 that satisfy the criteriaprovided by the requester. The process then moves to blocks B904 andB906, where permissions are obtained for sharing the videos from the A/Vrecording and communication doorbells 200 that were determined at blockB902. For example, at block B904 a request for consent to share may besent to each of the users associated with each of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200 in the subset determined at block B902. Forexample, with reference to FIG. 9A, the request for consent to share maycomprise a share request signal (or consent request signal) 903transmitted by the server 118 (or the backend API 120 or another networkdevice) to one or more of the user's client devices 114 associated withthe A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 determined at blockB902. The request for consent may comprise, for example, a pushnotification sent to each user's client device 114 (such as asmartphone). The push notification (or other type of request forconsent) may indicate the time and date range for which sharing has beenrequested, and may also indicate the identity of the requesting party.

Referring back to FIG. 9, then, at block B906, it is determined which ofthe users (if any) have provided consent to share their videos. Forexample, each user may respond to the push notification with a “yes” or“no.” With reference to FIG. 9A, the user consents (or denials ofconsent) may be sent in one or more share consent signals 905 from theusers' client devices 114 to the server 118 (or the backend API 120 oranother network device). For those users who do not provide consent toshare, the process ends at block B908. However, for those users who doprovide consent to share, the process continues to block B910. At blockB910, the videos from the consenting users' A/V recording andcommunication doorbells 200 are presented to the requester through theweb portal. With reference to FIG. 9A, information about the videos fromthe consenting users' A/V recording and communication doorbells 200 maybe sent in a video availability signal 907 from the server 118 (or thebackend API 120 or another network device) to the requesting party'sclient device 119. Since the request includes future videos, thosefuture videos are presented to the requester after they are uploaded.For example, with reference to FIG. 4, icons 404 on the map 402 mayindicate the locations of the A/V recording and communication doorbells200 corresponding to the consenting users, and a number on each icon 404may indicate a number of videos recorded by that A/V recording andcommunication doorbell 200. The list of videos 432 may be populated withthe videos corresponding to the icons 404 shown on the map 402, and therequester may view the videos, flag selected ones of the videos, hideselected ones of the videos, etc., as described above with respect toFIGS. 4-7.

While not shown in FIG. 9, the present embodiments may include an optionfor users to grant permission to share some videos that meet thecriteria provided by the requesting party, and to withhold permission toshare other videos that meet the criteria provided by the requestingparty. For example, the push notification (or other type of request forconsent) sent to the users of the A/V doorbells may include at leastthree response options: 1) share all videos meeting the criteriaprovided by the requesting party, 2) share no videos, or 3) share somevideos meeting the criteria provided by the requesting party andwithhold others. If the user selects option 3), the user may bepresented with a menu (not shown) that enables the user to select thosevideos to be shared and/or to select those videos to be withheld.

In certain other embodiments, a user may provide consent to share videosprospectively. For example, when a user sets up a new A/V doorbell, onestep in the setup process may present the user with a request to provideconsent (to “opt-in”) to share all videos recorded and uploaded by thatA/V doorbell. In another example, a user may be required to provideconsent to share all videos recorded and uploaded by that A/V doorbellas a condition of receiving the A/V doorbell. For example, a lawenforcement agency may offer to provide A/V doorbells to users free ofcharge with the condition that any videos recorded and uploaded by thatA/V doorbell be shared with the law enforcement agency that provided theA/V doorbell to the user.

As described above, the present embodiments advantageously enable arequesting party, such as a law enforcement agency, to request thatusers of A/V doorbells share video footage recorded and uploaded (to thecloud) by those A/V doorbells. Such footage can be useful to lawenforcement for solving crimes and apprehending perpetrators, and forstopping crimes that may be currently in progress.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate a audio/video (A/V) communication doorbell 130according to an aspect of present embodiments. The doorbell 130 isconfigured for use in the methods and systems described in the presentdisclosure, including those described above. FIG. 10 is a front view,FIG. 11 is a rear view, and FIG. 12 is a left side view of the doorbell130 coupled with a mounting bracket 137. The doorbell 130 includes afaceplate 135 mounted to a back plate 139 (FIG. 11). With reference toFIG. 12, the faceplate 135 has a substantially flat profile. Thefaceplate 135 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, metals, such as brushed aluminum or stainless steel, metalalloys, or plastics. The faceplate 135 protects the internal contents ofthe doorbell 130 and serves as an exterior front surface of the doorbell130.

With reference to FIG. 10, the faceplate 135 includes a button 133 and alight pipe 136. The button 133 and the light pipe 136 may have variousprofiles that may or may not match the profile of the faceplate 135. Thelight pipe 136 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, transparent plastic, that is capable of allowing lightproduced within the doorbell 130 to pass through. The light may beproduced by one or more light-emitting components, such aslight-emitting diodes (LED's), contained within the doorbell 130, asfurther described below. The button 133 may make contact with a buttonactuator (not shown) located within the doorbell 130 when the button 133is pressed by a visitor. When pressed, the button 133 may trigger one ormore functions of the doorbell 130, as further described below.

With reference to FIGS. 10 and 12, the doorbell 130 further includes anenclosure 131 that engages the faceplate 135. In the illustratedembodiment, the enclosure 131 abuts an upper edge 135T (FIG. 10) of thefaceplate 135, but in alternative embodiments one or more gaps betweenthe enclosure 131 and the faceplate 135 may facilitate the passage ofsound and/or light through the doorbell 130. The enclosure 131 maycomprise any suitable material, but in some embodiments the material ofthe enclosure 131 preferably permits infrared light to pass through frominside the doorbell 130 to the environment and vice versa. The doorbell130 further includes a lens 132. In some embodiments, the lens maycomprise a Fresnel lens, which may be patterned to deflect incominglight into one or more infrared sensors located within the doorbell 130.The doorbell 130 further includes a camera 134, which captures videodata when activated, as described below.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the doorbell 130, according to an aspect ofthe present embodiments. As illustrated, the enclosure 131 may extendfrom the front of the doorbell 130 around to the back thereof and mayfit snugly around a lip of the back plate 139. The back plate 139 maycomprise any suitable material, including, without limitation, metals,such as brushed aluminum or stainless steel, metal alloys, or plastics.The back plate 139 protects the internal contents of the doorbell 130and serves as an exterior rear surface of the doorbell 130. Thefaceplate 135 may extend from the front of the doorbell 130 and at leastpartially wrap around the back plate 139, thereby allowing a coupledconnection between the faceplate 135 and the back plate 139. The backplate 139 may have indentations in its structure to facilitate thecoupling.

With further reference to FIG. 11, spring contacts 140 may provide powerto the doorbell 130 when mated with other conductive contacts connectedto a power source. The spring contacts 140 may comprise any suitableconductive material, including, without limitation, copper, and may becapable of deflecting when contacted by an inward force, for example theinsertion of a mating element. The doorbell 130 further comprises aconnector 160, such as a micro-USB or other connector, whereby powerand/or data may be supplied to and from the components within thedoorbell 130. A reset button 159 may be located on the back plate 139,and may make contact with a button actuator (not shown) located withinthe doorbell 130 when the reset button 159 is pressed. When the resetbutton 159 is pressed, it may trigger one or more functions, asdescribed below.

FIG. 12 is a left side profile view of the doorbell 130 coupled to themounting bracket 137, according to an aspect of the present embodiments.The mounting bracket 137 facilitates mounting the doorbell 130 to asurface, such as the exterior of a building, such as a home or office.As illustrated in FIG. 12, the faceplate 135 may extend from the bottomof the doorbell 130 up to just below the camera 134, and connect to theback plate 139 as described above. The lens 132 may extend and curlpartially around the side of the doorbell 130. The enclosure 131 mayextend and curl around the side and top of the doorbell 130, and may becoupled to the back plate 139 as described above. The camera 134 mayprotrude slightly through the enclosure 131, thereby giving it a widerfield of view. The mounting bracket 137 may couple with the back plate139 such that they contact each other at various points in a commonplane of contact, thereby creating an assembly including the doorbell130 and the mounting bracket 137. The couplings described in thisparagraph, and elsewhere, may be secured by, for example and withoutlimitation, screws, interference fittings, adhesives, or otherfasteners. Interference fittings may refer to a type of connection wherea material relies on pressure and/or gravity coupled with the material'sphysical strength to support a connection to a different element.

FIG. 13 is a right side cross-sectional view of the doorbell 130 withoutthe mounting bracket 137. In the illustrated embodiment, the lens 132 issubstantially coplanar with the front surface 131F of the enclosure 131.In alternative embodiments, the lens 132 may be recessed within theenclosure 131 or may protrude outward from the enclosure 131. The camera134 is coupled to a camera printed circuit board (PCB) 147, and a lens134 a of the camera 134 protrudes through an opening in the enclosure131. The camera lens 134 a may be a lens capable of focusing light intothe camera 134 so that clear images may be taken.

The camera PCB 147 may be secured within the doorbell with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.The camera PCB 147 comprises various components that enable thefunctionality of the camera 134 of the doorbell 130, as described below.Infrared light-emitting components, such as infrared LED's 168, arecoupled to the camera PCB 147 and may be triggered to activate when alight sensor detects a low level of ambient light. When activated, theinfrared LED's 168 may emit infrared light through the enclosure 131and/or the camera 134 out into the ambient environment. The camera 134,which may be configured to detect infrared light, may then capture thelight emitted by the infrared LED's 168 as it reflects off objectswithin the camera's 134 field of view, so that the doorbell 130 canclearly capture images at night (may be referred to as “night vision”).

With continued reference to FIG. 13, the doorbell 130 further comprisesa front PCB 146, which in the illustrated embodiment resides in a lowerportion of the doorbell 130 adjacent a battery 166. The front PCB 146may be secured within the doorbell 130 with any suitable fasteners, suchas screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The front PCB146 comprises various components that enable the functionality of theaudio and light components, as further described below. The battery 166may provide power to the doorbell 130 components while receiving powerfrom the spring contacts 140, thereby engaging in a trickle-chargemethod of power consumption and supply. Alternatively, the doorbell 130may draw power directly from the spring contacts 140 while relying onthe battery 166 only when the spring contacts 140 are not providing thepower necessary for all functions.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, the doorbell 130 further comprisesa power PCB 148, which in the illustrated embodiment resides behind thecamera PCB 147. The power PCB 148 may be secured within the doorbell 130with any suitable fasteners, such as screws, or interferenceconnections, adhesives, etc. The power PCB 148 comprises variouscomponents that enable the functionality of the power and device-controlcomponents, as further described below.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, the doorbell 130 further comprisesa communication module 164 coupled to the power PCB 148. Thecommunication module 164 facilitates communication with client devicesin one or more remote locations, as further described below. Theconnector 160 may protrude outward from the power PCB 148 and extendthrough a hole in the back plate 139. The doorbell 130 further comprisespassive infrared (PIR) sensors 144, which are secured on or within a PIRsensor holder 143, and the assembly resides behind the lens 132. The PIRsensor holder 143 may be secured to the doorbell 130 with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.The PIR sensors 144 may be any type of sensor capable of detecting andcommunicating the presence of a heat source within their field of view.Further, alternative embodiments may comprise one or more motion sensorseither in place of or in addition to the PIR sensors 144. The motionsensors may be configured to detect motion using any methodology, suchas a methodology that does not rely on detecting the presence of a heatsource within a field of view.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the doorbell 130 and the mounting bracket137 according to an aspect of the present embodiments. The mountingbracket 137 is configured to be mounted to a mounting surface (notshown) of a structure, such as a home or an office. FIG. 14 shows thefront side 137F of the mounting bracket 137. The mounting bracket 137 isconfigured to be mounted to the mounting surface such that the back side137B thereof faces the mounting surface. In certain embodiments themounting bracket 137 may be mounted to surfaces of various composition,including, without limitation, wood, concrete, stucco, brick, vinylsiding, aluminum siding, etc., with any suitable fasteners, such asscrews, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The doorbell 130may be coupled to the mounting bracket 137 with any suitable fasteners,such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 14, the illustrated embodiment of themounting bracket 137 includes the terminal screws 138. The terminalscrews 138 are configured to receive electrical wires adjacent themounting surface of the structure upon which the mounting bracket 137 ismounted, so that the doorbell 130 may receive electrical power from thestructure's electrical system. The terminal screws 138 are electricallyconnected to electrical contacts 177 of the mounting bracket. If poweris supplied to the terminal screws 138, then the electrical contacts 177also receive power through the terminal screws 138. The electricalcontacts 177 may comprise any suitable conductive material, including,without limitation, copper, and may protrude slightly from the face ofthe mounting bracket 137 so that they may mate with the spring contacts140 located on the back plate 139.

With reference to FIGS. 14 and 15 (which is a rear view of the mountingbracket 137), the mounting bracket 137 further comprises a bracket PCB149. With reference to FIG. 15, the bracket PCB 149 is situated outsidethe doorbell 130, and is therefore configured for various sensors thatmeasure ambient conditions, such as an accelerometer 150, a barometer151, a humidity sensor 152, and a temperature sensor 153. The functionsof these components are discussed in more detail below. The bracket PCB149 may be secured to the mounting bracket 137 with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are top and bottom views, respectively, of thedoorbell 130. As described above, the enclosure 131 may extend from thefront face 131F of the doorbell 130 to the back, where it contacts andsnugly surrounds the back plate 139. The camera 134 may protrudeslightly beyond the front face 131F of the enclosure 131, thereby givingthe camera 134 a wider field of view. The mounting bracket 137 mayinclude a substantially flat rear surface 137R, such that the doorbell130 and the mounting bracket 137 assembly may sit flush against thesurface to which they are mounted. With reference to FIG. 16B, the lowerend of the enclosure 131 may include security screw apertures 141configured to receive screws or other fasteners.

FIG. 17A is a top view of the PIR sensor holder 143. The PIR sensorholder 143 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, metals, metal alloys, or plastics. The PIR sensor holder 143is configured to mount the PIR sensors 144 behind the lens 132 such thatthe PIR sensors 144 face out through the lens 132 at varying angles,thereby creating a wide field of view for the PIR sensors 144, anddividing the field of view into zones, as further described below. Withfurther reference to FIG. 17A, the PIR sensor holder 143 includes one ormore faces 178 within or on which the PIR sensors 144 may be mounted. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the PIR sensor holder 143 includes threefaces 178, with each of two outer faces 178 angled at 55° with respectto a center one of the faces 178. In alternative embodiments, the angleformed by adjacent ones of the faces 178 may be increased or decreasedas desired to alter the field of view of the PIR sensors 144.

FIG. 17B is a front view of the PIR sensor holder 143. In theillustrated embodiment, each of the faces 178 includes a through hole180 in which the PIR sensors 144 may be mounted. First and secondbrackets 182, spaced from one another, extend transversely across thePIR sensor holder 143. Each of the brackets 182 includes notches 184 ateither end. The brackets 182 may be used to secure the PIR sensor holder143 within the doorbell 130. In alternative embodiments, the throughholes 180 in the faces 178 may be omitted. For example, the PIR sensors144 may be mounted directly to the faces 178 without the through holes180. Generally, the faces 178 may be comprise any structure configuredto locate and secure the PIR sensors 144 in place.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are top and front views, respectively, of a PIR sensorassembly 179, including the PIR sensor holder 143, the lens 132, and aflexible power circuit 145. The PIR sensor holder 143 may be secured toa rear face 132R of the lens 132, as shown, with the brackets 182abutting the rear face 132R of the lens 132. The flexible power circuit145, which may be any material or component capable of delivering powerand/or data to and from the PIR sensors 144, is secured to a rear face143R of the PIR sensor holder 143, and may be contoured to match theangular shape of the PIR sensor holder 143. The flexible power circuit145 may connect to, draw power from, and/or transmit data to and/orfrom, the power PCB 148 (FIG. 13).

FIG. 19 is a top view of the PIR sensor assembly 179 illustrating thefields of view of the PIR sensors 144. Each PIR sensor 144 includes afield of view, referred to as a “zone,” that traces an angle extendingoutward from the respective PIR sensor 144. Zone 1 is the area that isvisible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-1. Zone 2 is the area thatis visible only to the PIR sensors 144-1 and 144-2. Zone 3 is the areathat is visible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-2. Zone 4 is thearea that is visible only to the PIR sensors 144-2 and 144-3. Zone 5 isthe area that is visible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-3. Thedoorbell 130 may be capable of determining the direction that an objectis moving based upon which zones are triggered in a time sequence. Inthe illustrated embodiment, each zone extends across an angle of 110°.In alternative embodiments, each zone may extend across a differentangle, such as one greater than or less than 110°.

FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram of the components within or incommunication with the doorbell 130, according to an aspect of thepresent embodiments. As described above, the bracket PCB 149 maycomprise an accelerometer 150, a barometer 151, a humidity sensor 152,and a temperature sensor 153. The accelerometer 150 may be one or moresensors capable of sensing motion and/or acceleration. The barometer 151may be one or more sensors capable of determining the atmosphericpressure of the surrounding environment in which the bracket PCB 149 maybe located. The humidity sensor 152 may be one or more sensors capableof determining the amount of moisture present in the atmosphericenvironment in which the bracket PCB 149 may be located. The temperaturesensor 153 may be one or more sensors capable of determining thetemperature of the ambient environment in which the bracket PCB 149 maybe located. As described above, the bracket PCB 149 may be locatedoutside the housing of the doorbell 130 so as to reduce interferencefrom heat, pressure, moisture, and/or other stimuli generated by theinternal components of the doorbell 130.

With further reference to FIG. 20, the bracket PCB 149 may furthercomprise terminal screw inserts 154, which may be configured to receivethe terminal screws 138 and transmit power to the electrical contacts177 on the mounting bracket 137 (FIG. 6). The bracket PCB 149 may beelectrically and/or mechanically coupled to the power PCB 148 throughthe terminal screws 138, the terminal screw inserts 154, the springcontacts 140, and the electrical contacts 177. The terminal screws 138may receive electrical wires located at the surface to which thedoorbell 130 is mounted, such as the wall of a building, so that thedoorbell can receive electrical power from the building's electricalsystem. Upon the terminal screws 138 being secured within the terminalscrew inserts 154, power may be transferred to the bracket PCB 149, andto all of the components associated therewith, including the electricalcontacts 177. The electrical contacts 177 may transfer electrical powerto the power PCB 148 by mating with the spring contacts 140.

With further reference to FIG. 20, the front PCB 146 may comprise alight sensor 155, one or more light-emitting components, such as LED's156, one or more speakers 157, and a microphone 158. The light sensor155 may be one or more sensors capable of detecting the level of ambientlight of the surrounding environment in which the doorbell 130 may belocated. LED's 156 may be one or more light-emitting diodes capable ofproducing visible light when supplied with power. The speakers 157 maybe any electromechanical device capable of producing sound in responseto an electrical signal input. The microphone 158 may be anacoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor capable of converting soundwaves into an electrical signal. When activated, the LED's 156 mayilluminate the light pipe 136 (FIG. 2). The front PCB 146 and allcomponents thereof may be electrically coupled to the power PCB 148,thereby allowing data and/or power to be transferred to and from thepower PCB 148 and the front PCB 146.

The speakers 157 and the microphone 158 may be coupled to the cameraprocessor 170 through an audio CODEC 161. For example, the transfer ofdigital audio from the user's client device 114 and the speakers 157 andthe microphone 158 may be compressed and decompressed using the audioCODEC 161, coupled to the camera processor 170. Once compressed by audioCODEC 161, digital audio data may be sent through the communicationmodule 164 to the network 112, routed by one or more servers 118, anddelivered to the user's client device 114. When the user speaks, afterbeing transferred through the network 112, digital audio data isdecompressed by audio CODEC 161 and emitted to the visitor via thespeakers 157.

With further reference to FIG. 20, the power PCB 148 may comprise apower management module 162, a microcontroller 163, the communicationmodule 164, and power PCB non-volatile memory 165. In certainembodiments, the power management module 162 may comprise an integratedcircuit capable of arbitrating between multiple voltage rails, therebyselecting the source of power for the doorbell 130. The battery 166, thespring contacts 140, and/or the connector 160 may each provide power tothe power management module 162. The power management module 162 mayhave separate power rails dedicated to the battery 166, the springcontacts 140, and the connector 160. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the power management module 162 may continuously draw powerfrom the battery 166 to power the doorbell 130, while at the same timerouting power from the spring contacts 140 and/or the connector 160 tothe battery 166, thereby allowing the battery 166 to maintain asubstantially constant level of charge. Alternatively, the powermanagement module 162 may continuously draw power from the springcontacts 140 and/or the connector 160 to power the doorbell 130, whileonly drawing from the battery 166 when the power from the springcontacts 140 and/or the connector 160 is low or insufficient. The powermanagement module 162 may also serve as a conduit for data between theconnector 160 and the microcontroller 163.

With further reference to FIG. 20, in certain embodiments themicrocontroller 163 may comprise an integrated circuit including aprocessor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Themicrocontroller 163 may receive input signals, such as data and/orpower, from the PIR sensors 144, the bracket PCB 149, the powermanagement module 162, the light sensor 155, the microphone 158, and/orthe communication module 164, and may perform various functions asfurther described below. When the microcontroller 163 is triggered bythe PIR sensors 144, the microcontroller 163 may be triggered to performone or more functions, such as those described below with reference toFIG. 14. When the light sensor 155 detects a low level of ambient light,the light sensor 155 may trigger the microcontroller 163 to enable“night vision,” as further described below. The microcontroller 163 mayalso act as a conduit for data communicated between various componentsand the communication module 164.

With further reference to FIG. 20, the communication module 164 maycomprise an integrated circuit including a processor core, memory, andprogrammable input/output peripherals. The communication module 164 mayalso be configured to transmit data wirelessly to a remote networkdevice, and may include one or more transceivers (not shown). Thewireless communication may comprise one or more wireless networks, suchas, without limitation, Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, and/or satellitenetworks. The communication module 164 may receive inputs, such as powerand/or data, from the camera PCB 147, the microcontroller 163, thebutton 133, the reset button 159, and/or the power PCB non-volatilememory 165. When the button 133 is pressed, the communication module 164may be triggered to perform one or more functions, such as thosedescribed below with reference to FIG. 13. When the reset button 159 ispressed, the communication module 164 may be triggered to erase any datastored at the power PCB non-volatile memory 165 and/or at the camera PCBmemory 169. The communication module 164 may also act as a conduit fordata communicated between various components and the microcontroller163. The power PCB non-volatile memory 165 may comprise flash memoryconfigured to store and/or transmit data. For example, in certainembodiments the power PCB non-volatile memory 165 may comprise serialperipheral interface (SPI) flash memory.

With further reference to FIG. 20, the camera PCB 147 may comprisecomponents that facilitate the operation of the camera 134. For example,an imager 171 may comprise a video recording sensor and/or a camerachip. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the imager 171 maycomprise a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) array, and maybe capable of recording high definition (720p or better) video files. Acamera processor 170 may comprise an encoding and compression chip. Insome embodiments, the camera processor 170 may comprise a bridgeprocessor. The camera processor 170 may process video recorded by theimager 171 and audio recorded by the microphone 158, and may transformthis data into a form suitable for wireless transfer by thecommunication module 164 to a network. The camera PCB memory 169 maycomprise volatile memory that may be used when data is being buffered orencoded by the camera processor 170. For example, in certain embodimentsthe camera PCB memory 169 may comprise synchronous dynamic random accessmemory (SD RAM). IR LED's 168 may comprise light-emitting diodes capableof radiating infrared light. IR cut filter 167 may comprise a systemthat, when triggered, configures the imager 171 to see primarilyinfrared light as opposed to visible light. When the light sensor 155detects a low level of ambient light (which may comprise a level thatimpedes the performance of the imager 171 in the visible spectrum), theIR LED's 168 may shine infrared light through the doorbell 130 enclosureout to the environment, and the IR cut filter 167 may enable the imager171 to see this infrared light as it is reflected or refracted off ofobjects within the field of view of the doorbell. This process mayprovide the doorbell 130 with the “night vision” function mentionedabove.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B200, avisitor presses the button 133 on the doorbell 130. At block B202, thecommunication module 164 sends a request to a network device. Once thenetwork device receives the request, at block B204 the network devicemay connect the doorbell 130 to the user's client device 114 through theuser's network 110 and the network 112. In block B206, the doorbell 130may record available audio and/or video data using the camera 134, themicrophone 158, and/or any other sensor available. At block B208, theaudio and/or video data is transmitted to the user's client device 114.At block B210, the user may receive a notification on his or her clientdevice 114 prompting him or her to either accept or deny. If the userdenies the notification, then the process advances to block B214, wherethe audio and/or video data is recorded and stored at a cloud server118. The session then ends at block B216 and the connection between thedoorbell 130 and the user's client device 114 is terminated. If,however, the user elects to accept the notification, then at block B212the user communicates with the visitor through the user's client device114 while being provided audio and/or video data captured by the camera134, the microphone 158, and/or other sensors. At the end of the call,the user may terminate the connection between the user's client device114 and the doorbell 130 and the session ends at block B216. In someembodiments, the audio and/or video data may be recorded and stored at acloud server 118 (block B214) even if the user accepts the notificationand communicates with the visitor through the user's client device 114.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B300, anobject may move into the field of view of one or more of the PIR sensors144. At block B302, the PIR sensors 144 may trigger the microcontroller163, which may then trigger the communication module 164 to send arequest to a network device. At block B304, the network device mayconnect the doorbell 130 to the user's client device 114 through theuser's network 110 and the network 112. At block B306, the doorbell 130may record available audio and/or video data using the camera 134, themicrophone 158, and/or any other available sensor, and stream the datato the user's client device 114. At block B308, the user may receive anotification prompting the user to either accept or deny thenotification. If the notification is accepted, then at block B310 a thelive audio/video data may be displayed on the user's client device 114,thereby allowing the user surveillance from the perspective of thedoorbell 130. When the user is satisfied with this function, the usermay sever the connection at block B312, whereby the session ends. If,however, at block B308 the user denies the notification, or ignores thenotification and a specified time interval elapses, then the connectionbetween the doorbell 130 and the user's client device 114 is terminatedand the audio/video data is recorded and stored at a cloud server 118 atblock B310 b, such that the user may view the audio/video data later attheir convenience. The doorbell 130 may be configured to record for aspecified period of time in the event the notification in block B308 isdenied or ignored. If such a time period is set, the doorbell 130 mayrecord data for that period of time before ceasing operation at blockB312 thereby ending the session. In some embodiments, the audio and/orvideo data may be recorded and stored at a cloud server 118 (block B310b) even if the user accepts the notification and communicates with thevisitor through the user's client device 114.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B400, theuser may select a “snooze time-out,” which is a time period during whichthe doorbell 130 may deactivate or otherwise not respond to stimuli(such as light, sound, or heat signatures) after an operation isperformed, e.g. a notification is either accepted or denied/ignored. Forexample, the user may set a snooze time-out of 15 minutes. At blockB402, an object moves into the field of view of one or more of the PIRsensors 144. At block B404, the microcontroller 163 may trigger thecommunication module 164 to send a request to a network device. In blockB406, the network device may connect the doorbell 130 to the user'sclient device 114 through the user's network 110 and the network 112. Atblock B408, audio/video data captured by the doorbell 130 may bestreamed to the user's client device 114. At block B410, the user mayreceive a notification prompting the user to either accept ordeny/ignore the request. If the request is denied or ignored, then atblock B412 b audio/video data may be recorded and stored at a cloudserver 118. After the doorbell 130 finishes recording, the objects mayremain in the PIR sensor 144 field of view at block B414. In block B416,the microcontroller 163 waits for the “snooze time” to elapse, e.g. 15minutes, before triggering the communication module 164 to submitanother request to the network device. After the snooze time, e.g. 15minutes, elapses, the process moves back to block B404 and progresses asdescribed above. The cycle may continue like this until the user acceptsthe notification request at block B410. The process then moves to blockB412 a, where live audio and/or video data is displayed on the user'sclient device 114, thereby allowing the user surveillance from theperspective of the doorbell 130. At the user's request, the connectionmay be severed and the session ends at block B418. At this point theuser may elect for the process to revert back to block B416, wherebythere may be no further response until the snooze time, e.g. 15 minutes,has elapsed from the end of the previous session, or the user may electfor the process to return to block B402 and receive a notification thenext time an object is perceived by one or more of the PIR sensors 144.In some embodiments, the audio and/or video data may be recorded andstored at a cloud server 118 (block B412 b) even if the user accepts thenotification and communicates with the visitor through the user's clientdevice 114.

FIG. 24 is a functional block diagram of a client device 850 on whichthe present embodiments may be implemented according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. The user's client device 114 described withreference to FIG. 1 may include some or all of the components and/orfunctionality of the client device 850. The client device 850 maycomprise, for example, a smartphone.

The present embodiments have been described with reference to thedoorbell 130 illustrated in FIGS. 10-20. It should be understood,however, that the present embodiments are equally applicable to any A/Vrecording and communication device that is capable of recording videofootage and/or audio and transmitting the recorded video footage and/oraudio via wired and/or wireless connection. In certain embodiments, forexample, the A/V recording and communication device may not be adoorbell, but may be, for example, an A/V recording and communicationsecurity camera.

With reference to FIG. 24, the client device 850 includes a processor852, a memory 854, a user interface 856, a communication module 858, anda dataport 860. These components are communicatively coupled together byan interconnect bus 862. The processor 852 may include any processorused in smartphones and/or portable computing devices, such as an ARMprocessor (a processor based on the RISC (reduced instruction setcomputer) architecture developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM)). Insome embodiments, the processor 852 may include one or more otherprocessors, such as one or more conventional microprocessors, and/or oneor more supplementary co-processors, such as math co-processors.

The memory 854 may include both operating memory, such as random accessmemory (RAM), as well as data storage, such as read-only memory (ROM),hard drives, flash memory, or any other suitable memory/storage element.The memory 854 may include removable memory elements, such as aCompactFlash card, a MultiMediaCard (MMC), and/or a Secure Digital (SD)card. In some embodiments, the memory 854 may comprise a combination ofmagnetic, optical, and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, RAM, ROM, flash drive, and/or a hard disk or drive. Theprocessor 852 and the memory 854 each may be, for example, locatedentirely within a single device, or may be connected to each other by acommunication medium, such as a USB port, a serial port cable, a coaxialcable, an Ethernet-type cable, a telephone line, a radio frequencytransceiver, or other similar wireless or wired medium or combination ofthe foregoing. For example, the processor 852 may be connected to thememory 854 via the dataport 860.

The user interface 856 may include any user interface or presentationelements suitable for a smartphone and/or a portable computing device,such as a keypad, a display screen, a touchscreen, a microphone, and aspeaker. The communication module 858 is configured to handlecommunication links between the client device 850 and other, externaldevices or receivers, and to route incoming/outgoing data appropriately.For example, inbound data from the dataport 860 may be routed throughthe communication module 858 before being directed to the processor 852,and outbound data from the processor 852 may be routed through thecommunication module 858 before being directed to the dataport 860. Thecommunication module 858 may include one or more transceiver modulescapable of transmitting and receiving data, and using, for example, oneor more protocols and/or technologies, such as GSM, UMTS (3GSM), IS-95(CDMA one), IS-2000 (CDMA 2000), LTE, FDMA, TDMA, W-CDMA, CDMA, OFDMA,Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or any other protocol and/or technology.

The dataport 860 may be any type of connector used for physicallyinterfacing with a smartphone and/or a portable computing device, suchas a mini-USB port or an IPHONE®/IPOD® 30-pin connector or LIGHTNING®connector. In other embodiments, the dataport 860 may include multiplecommunication channels for simultaneous communication with, for example,other processors, servers, and/or client terminals.

The memory 854 may store instructions for communicating with othersystems, such as a computer. The memory 854 may store, for example, aprogram (e.g., computer program code) adapted to direct the processor852 in accordance with the present embodiments. The instructions alsomay include program elements, such as an operating system. Whileexecution of sequences of instructions in the program causes theprocessor 852 to perform the process steps described herein, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with,software/firmware instructions for implementation of the processes ofthe present embodiments. Thus, the present embodiments are not limitedto any specific combination of hardware and software.

FIG. 25 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented according tovarious aspects of present disclosure. The computer system 1000 mayexecute at least some of the operations described above. The computersystem 1000 may be embodied in at least one of a personal computer (alsoreferred to as a desktop computer) 1000A, a portable computer (alsoreferred to as a laptop or notebook computer) 1000B, and/or a server1000C. A server is a computer program and/or a machine that waits forrequests from other machines or software (clients) and responds to them.A server typically processes data. The purpose of a server is to sharedata and/or hardware and/or software resources among clients. Thisarchitecture is called the client-server model. The clients may run onthe same computer or may connect to the server over a network. Examplesof computing servers include database servers, file servers, mailservers, print servers, web servers, game servers, and applicationservers. The term server may be construed broadly to include anycomputerized process that shares a resource to one or more clientprocesses.

The computer system 1000 may include at least one processor 1010, memory1020, at least one storage device 1030, and input/output (I/O) devices1040. Some or all of the components 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040 may beinterconnected via a system bus 1050. The processor 1010 may be single-or multi-threaded and may have one or more cores. The processor 1010 mayexecute instructions, such as those stored in the memory 1020 and/or inthe storage device 1030. Information may be received and output usingone or more I/O devices 1040.

The memory 1020 may store information, and may be a computer-readablemedium, such as volatile or non-volatile memory. The storage device(s)1030 may provide storage for the system 1000, and may be acomputer-readable medium. In various aspects, the storage device(s) 1030may be a flash memory device, a hard disk device, an optical diskdevice, a tape device, or any other type of storage device.

The I/O devices 1040 may provide input/output operations for the system1000. The I/O devices 1040 may include a keyboard, a pointing device,and/or a microphone. The I/O devices 1040 may further include a displayunit for displaying graphical user interfaces, a speaker, and/or aprinter. External data may be stored in one or more accessible externaldatabases 1060.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in digital electronic circuitry, and/or in computerhardware, firmware, software, and/or in combinations thereof. Featuresof the present embodiments may be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as amachine-readable storage device, and/or in a propagated signal, forexecution by a programmable processor. Embodiments of the present methodsteps may be performed by a programmable processor executing a programof instructions to perform functions of the described implementations byoperating on input data and generating output.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processorcoupled to receive data and/or instructions from, and to transmit dataand/or instructions to, a data storage system, at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. A computer program may include aset of instructions that may be used, directly or indirectly, in acomputer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result.A computer program may be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it may be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions mayinclude, for example, both general and special purpose processors,and/or the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind ofcomputer. Generally, a processor may receive instructions and/or datafrom a read only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM), or both.Such a computer may include a processor for executing instructions andone or more memories for storing instructions and/or data.

Generally, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled tocommunicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing datafiles. Such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disksand/or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and/or optical disks.Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and/or data may include all forms of non-volatile memory,including for example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal harddisks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, orincorporated in, one or more ASICs (application-specific integratedcircuits).

To provide for interaction with a user, the features of the presentembodiments may be implemented on a computer having a display device,such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displayinginformation to the user. The computer may further include a keyboard, apointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, and/or a touchscreen bywhich the user may provide input to the computer.

The features of the present embodiments may be implemented in a computersystem that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, and/orthat includes a middleware component, such as an application server oran Internet server, and/or that includes a front-end component, such asa client computer having a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or anInternet browser, or any combination of these. The components of thesystem may be connected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, such as a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks may include, for example, a LAN (local areanetwork), a WAN (wide area network), and/or the computers and networksforming the Internet.

The computer system may include clients and servers. A client and servermay be remote from each other and interact through a network, such asthose described herein. The relationship of client and server may ariseby virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other.

The above description presents the best mode contemplated for carryingout the present embodiments, and of the manner and process of practicingthem, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable anyperson skilled in the art to which they pertain to practice theseembodiments. The present embodiments are, however, susceptible tomodifications and alternate constructions from those discussed abovethat are fully equivalent. Consequently, the present invention is notlimited to the particular embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, thepresent invention covers all modifications and alternate constructionscoming within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, the steps in the processes described herein need not beperformed in the same order as they have been presented, and may beperformed in any order(s).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving a request from arequesting party for video footage recorded by one or more audio/video(A/V) recording and communication devices in a specified area during aspecified time window, wherein each of the A/V recording andcommunication devices includes a camera; determining videos that wererecorded by at least a subset of the A/V recording and communicationdevices in the specified area during the specified time window; sendingconsent requests to users associated with each of the A/V recording andcommunication devices in the subset; receiving at least one user consentto share at least one of the videos recorded by the A/V recording andcommunication devices in the subset; and providing the video footagecorresponding to the at least one user consent to the requesting party.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified time window includes anending date and/or time that is in the future.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the videos comprises taking as criteria thespecified area and the specified time window, and using the criteria tosearch through video metadata to identify videos that meet the criteria.4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the videos returns a setof video metadata records.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the consentrequests comprise push notifications sent to client devices associatedwith each of the users.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pushnotifications comprise an indicator of the specified time window.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the push notifications comprise an indicatorof the requesting party.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the pushnotifications comprise a listing of the videos that are associated withthe request.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the users may view thevideos in the listing.
 10. The method of claim 5, wherein the pushnotifications comprise three response options, including an option toshare all videos meeting criteria provided by the requesting party, anoption to share no videos, and an option to share some videos meetingthe criteria provided by the requesting party and withhold others. 11.The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting party is a law enforcementagency.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein a server performs at leastone of receiving the request, determining the videos, sending theconsent requests, receiving the at least one user consent, and providingthe video footage.
 13. A method, comprising: receiving a request from arequesting party for video footage recorded by one or more audio/video(A/V) recording and communication devices in a specified area during aspecified time window, wherein the specified time window includes adefined start date and/or time, but does not include a defined end dateor time, and wherein each of the A/V recording and communication devicesincludes a camera; determining videos that were recorded by at least asubset of the A/V recording and communication devices in the specifiedarea after the defined start date and/or time; sending consent requeststo users associated with each of the A/V recording and communicationdevices in the subset; receiving at least one user consent to share atleast one of the videos recorded by the A/V recording and communicationdevices in the subset; and providing the video footage corresponding tothe at least one user consent to the requesting party.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the defined start date and/or time is in the past. 15.The method of claim 13, wherein the defined start date and/or timecorrespond to a time that the request is received.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein determining the videos comprises taking as criteriathe specified area and the defined start date and/or time, and using thecriteria to search through video metadata to identify videos that meetthe criteria.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the videosreturns a set of video metadata records.
 18. The method of claim 13,wherein the consent requests comprise push notifications sent to clientdevices associated with each of the users.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the push notifications comprise an indicator of the definedstart date and/or time.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the pushnotifications comprise an indicator of the requesting party.
 21. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the push notifications comprise a listing ofthe videos that are associated with the request.
 22. The method of claim21, wherein the users may view the videos in the listing.
 23. The methodof claim 18, wherein the push notifications comprise three responseoptions, including an option to share all videos meeting criteriaprovided by the requesting party, an option to share no videos, and anoption to share some videos meeting the criteria provided by therequesting party and withhold others.
 24. The method of claim 13,wherein the requesting party is a law enforcement agency.
 25. The methodof claim 13, wherein a server performs at least one of receiving therequest, determining the videos, sending the consent requests, receivingthe at least one user consent, and providing the video footage.